Pet Halloween costumes – good or bad idea?

So with Halloween celebrated today are you planning to dress your dog or cat up in the cutest mini-sized novelty costume you can find?

Personally I’m not a massive fan as I’m not convinced all pets enjoy it, with most preferring to stick to their birthday suits or donning the odd themed neckerchief; and being dressed like a pumpkin for their owner’s amusement can even cause pets unnecessary stress and even result in abnormal behaviour.

However if you do decide to dress up your pet then please try on costumes before the big night, and make sure breathing, movement, hearing, and ability to bark or meow aren’t constricted, as well as double checking there‘re no small, dangling or easily chewed-off pieces that could be swallowed or inhaled.

It’s essential your dog or cat has proper identification on underneath that costume too. If for any reason your pet escapes and becomes lost, a collar and tag (legal requirement) and/or microchip can be a lifesaver.

With so many sweets around on Halloween it’s also important to remember chocolate – especially dark or baking chocolate – is extremely poisonous to all dogs. Chewing gum containing artificial sweetener xylitol can also cause problems. If you suspect your pet has ingested something harmful then please call us immediately.

Carved pumpkins are certainly festive, but take care when adding candles as pets can easily knock a lit pumpkin over and cause a fire, with curious kittens running the risk of getting burned or singed by naked flames.

Finally when repeatedly opening the door for trick-or-treaters, please take care that your cat or dog doesn’t run away scared!

Share this:

Comments are now closed.

Related Posts

(Blue Cross Press Release) Pet charity Blue Cross welcomed celebrity vet and animal welfare campaigner, Marc Abraham, to its Victoria animal hospital today as it backs his Pup Aid campaign to ban the sale of puppies and kittens in pet shops. His visit to the world’s first animal hospital, which was founded in 1906, comes…

Does your dog seem depressed, has your cat got a cough, or is your rabbit suffering from an itchy rash? On Monday 2nd June, ITV This Morning will be opening the doors to our open poorly pet clinic so if you’d like expert advice from myself live on the show along with Philip and Holly, please get in touch…

Celebrities, families and dogs gather to fight back against puppy farms. Primrose Hill will be partying in the name of puppies on Saturday September 8th as PupAid moves from its south coast residency to London. Families, famous faces and our four legged-friends will be gathering in a free festival of fun dog show, fresh food…

At the end of next week I’m off to the Ukraine with FOUR PAWS in order to raise awareness of the terrible plight of stray dogs and abused bears. FOUR PAWS showed me photos of dogs that had been rounded up and killed earlier this year ahead of the big EUROS football tournament in Ukraine…